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Fusarium Head Blight 

Pest Background

  • FHB, or scab, affects wheat, barley, oats, corn, and other grasses.
  • Fusarium graminearum (syn. Gibberella zeae) is favored by warm, humid conditions during flowering and early kernel development.
  • In addition to yield losses, this fungus produces mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON) that can accumulate in grain.

 

Identification

  • FHB symptoms include bleached spikelets (Fig 1A) first visible 18-21 days after flowering.
  • Spores may be visible on infected spikelets as pink or orange spore masses (Fig 1B).
  • Infected grains may shrink and wrinkle, producing tombstone-like kernels which can be pink, gray, and light brown (Fig 2).

 

Fig 1: Symptoms of FHB. Bleached spikelet; Orange sporulation on symptomatic head
Fig 1: Symptoms of FHB. 1A) Bleached spikelet; 1B) Orange sporulation on symptomatic head
Fig 2: Healthy kernels (left) and “tombstone” Fusarium damaged kernels (right)
Fig 2: Healthy kernels (left) and “tombstone” Fusarium damaged kernels (right)
Fig 3: Feekes 10.3, Anthesis, Feekes 10.5.1 (yellow anthers beginning flowering), 4 days after anthesis (white anthers post flowering)
Fig 3: From left to right Feekes 10.3, Anthesis, Feekes 10.5.1 (yellow anthers beginning flowering), 4 days after anthesis (white anthers post flowering)

Management

  • Spikelets are most susceptible at early flowering (Feekes 10.5.1) when anthers emerge. Weather conditions leading up to and following anthesis greatly impact disease development.
  • Monitor risk at wheatscab.psu.edu.
  • An integrated management approach is best.
  • Moderately resistant wheat varieties are available.
  • Corn is the most common rotation partner of small grains in the region and a host of F. graminearum. Minimizing corn or wheat residues and rotating to a non-host crop when possible, helps to reduce pathogen survival over winter.
  • Fungicides are most effective in reducing FHB and DON when applied at anthesis (Feekes 10.5.1) but may be applied up to 7 days after flowering (Fig 3).

 

References

    Crop Protection Network (2022, January 28). Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat. Retrieved from:     https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/ encyclopedia/fusarium-head-blight- of- wheat

 

Authors: Joseph Cinderella and Dr. Alyssa Koehler


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